Second and third storey additions, basement expansion, whole-home transformations, and zoning variances on irregular lots.
Four of our completed projects are in Etobicoke, more than in any other part of the city.
Most of them share a pattern. A family buys a house between 1,300 and 1,500 sq. ft., lives in it for a few years, and runs out of room. The lot has capacity, but the house does not. Rather than move, they add up, add out, or both. Every one of our Etobicoke projects finished between 1,500 and 3,200 sq. ft.
More than in any other part of the city.
Finished size of every Etobicoke project we have built.
Close to both the sites and City Hall.
One project took a 1,300 sq. ft. house to 2,500 sq. ft. The family was growing and needed room, but they did not want open concept. They wanted defined rooms, which is less common now and changes how you plan a house.
We expanded the basement both downward and outward, added a full second storey, and put a loft on a third level for flexibility. In the formal living room we used double pocket doors so the space can be closed off when they want privacy and opened up when they do not. The main floor has a chef-inspired kitchen that opens onto a covered deck created by cantilevering the second floor over the back of the house. We also roughed in the utilities for a laneway suite they may build later.
Etobicoke lots are often irregular, and easements are common. That is usually where a project gets complicated.
A young family in Princess Gardens had outgrown their 1,500 sq. ft. home. The property came with a hydro easement across the back, an irregular lot shape, and zoning that did not allow the expansion they needed. We designed a northwest addition and took it through the Committee of Adjustment to secure a variance, which unlocked the part of the lot that was actually usable.
Inside, we reconfigured the layout completely, redesigned the second floor around a primary retreat with cathedral ceilings and a large ensuite, and added a quiet basement workspace. To tie the old and new together we removed the original roofline and re-clad the whole exterior in stucco. From the street it reads as a new build with no visible seam where the addition starts.
Some Etobicoke properties back onto ravines, and most of them were built facing away from the view.
We were brought onto a ravine-backing home after finishing the property next door. The house felt cut off from its own backyard. We reoriented it toward the ravine, added a new level above the family room for a private primary retreat, gave the children their own dedicated floor, and reworked the main floor layout. The kitchen now looks directly onto the backyard, and the family room has soaring ceilings with large patio doors opening onto a new deck. There is a front-facing home office, a proper mudroom, and a fully equipped basement suite. Finished at 3,200 sq. ft.
Not every project needs more square footage. Sometimes the house is the right size and simply feels dated and dark.
One 1,500 sq. ft. home was being prepared as a retirement house. The owners wanted brighter, more open space without spending on an addition. We rebuilt the roof entirely, which let us introduce cathedral ceilings in the main living areas and place skylights where they would do the most good. We added a custom fireplace as a focal point, reorganized the basement into an open-concept layout, and rebuilt the front entry. To pull it together we re-clad the exterior in limestone and stucco. The result reads as a new build, and it came in on budget.
Etobicoke is part of the City of Toronto, so the permit framework is the same, but the lots create different problems. Easements, irregular shapes, and setback issues come up more often here than in the older grid neighbourhoods.
We identify zoning restrictions before drawings are finalized. If a project needs relief we take it to the Committee of Adjustment, and we have secured variances on Etobicoke projects before.
When we file for permit we also handle tree protection permits, gas and hydro disconnections, temporary power, and new service connections, which is where jobs usually stall if nobody has thought about them.
Etobicoke South in particular has structural quirks that come up again and again, and we have dealt with most of them. One of our projects here came directly from finishing the house next door, which is usually the best sign you can get about how a builder works.
Our office is downtown, and Etobicoke is part of the City of Toronto, so the permit process is the same one we handle on every project.
We start at your house. We walk the property, talk about what you need, and tell you honestly what the lot will allow and what it will cost.
